• DPAC
• parent education
• pac

• DPAC
• parent education
• pac

• DPAC
• parent education
• pac

We invited our DPAC Executive teams to join us for our annual DPAC Leadership Summit via Zoom on November 19-20, 2021. Thanks to all who attended Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and for making our 2021 event another resounding success! Thank you for bringing your passion and commitment and shared their thoughts and ideas which enabled rich and respectful dialogue. We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents. 

Recording of Friday Sessions

Summit Presentations

RCYBC Session: Dr Jennifer Charlesworth, Representative for Children and Youth

Creating Belonging: Helping Children with Support Needs Thrive

MNBC Session: Lauren Petersen, K-12 Education Manager, Métis Nation British Columbia

Kaykwy wii ooshihtaayen dimayn? Métis culture, history, and perspectives on community Reconciliation

FNESC Session: Mary Mollineaux, K-12 Policy Manager, First Nations Education Steering Committee

The Role of Parent Advisory Councils and Parents in Advancing Truth and Reconciliation

MoE Session: Patricia Kovacs, Executive Director, Ministry of Education

Inclusive Education Information Handbook for Parents, Guardians and Caregivers

Additional Resources

Directions: BC Antiracism Research Final Report (2016)

• DPAC
• parent education
• advocacy
• pac
• conference
• agm
• spring conference
• conference presentations

​In June 2021, Ministry of Education staff met with Distributed Learning educators and also met with BCCPAC President Sinclair and CEO John Gaiptman to explain the proposed plan and to engage us as part of the consultation process which is just now beginning. During that discussion, it was agreed that BCCPAC would assist the Ministry with parent focus groups in the fall of 2021 to ensure they were hearing directly from families. 

Read the Parent Information Sheet. Please review the Timeline

​For more information about the overall timeline, the consultation process, proposed changes and what to expect, please visit the Ministry’s information page on The New Model for Online (Distributed) Learning. 

Parents/guardians/caregivers are encouraged to review the materials and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

​There is a three year implementation timeline and work has only just begun as work was delayed due to the pandemic. The initial steps were completed during the Funding Model Review in 2018; online learning had its own group and BCCPAC participated in those discussions as all the education partners did. 

The OLWG published a series of recommendations around how to best modernize the delivery of online programs in BC while addressing critical gaps and facilitating better program choices and learning outcomes for students. The recommendations included a new model for Online Learning (previously referred to as DL) including a provincially supported infrastructure consisting of:

• Single Online Learning Policy
• New Online Learning Management Service
• Selected Provincial Service Providers
• New Quality Assurance Framework
• Shared resources for educators

Read that Online Learning Report.

Over the last year, the Ministry, in consultation with public and independent administrators and educators, has begun drafting the criteria, guidelines and procedures for each of the five workstreams to best enhance the equity, quality and availability of Online Learning for students. Subsequently, during the pandemic, safety measures accelerated students’ and teachers’ engagement with online learning and blended learning programs, increasing the need for implementation of the OLWG’s vision.

The proposed changes are all about improving equity and access for all students and families to programs that:
- are of high quality,
- provide flexibility for families and their students,
- ensure that wherever a child lives in the province, they have access to a program that meets their unique needs.

Families of children with unique learning needs will continue to have supports whatever type of schooling they select.

​In support of the new Online Learning legislation which came into effect July 1, the Ministry has contacted Boards of Education who currently have a DL agreement in order to sign an Interim Online Learning Agreement. Interim Online Learning Policies have also been posted. Parents can review these interim online learning policies which school districts must adhere to.
BCCPAC is supportive of the review of the DL/OL programs across all 60 school districts as they aren’t all the same as regards quality, flexibility, equity and access.

Read about Standards for K-12 Online Learning and Standards for Online Learning Content

​For more information about the overall timeline, the consultation process, proposed changes and what to expect, please visit the Ministry’s information page on The New Model for Online Learning. 

Parents/guardians/caregivers are encouraged to review the materials and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Read the Parent Information Sheet. 

• DPAC
• parent education
• advocacy
• pac
• conference
• agm
• spring conference
• conference presentations

PACs and DPACs are reminded to apply online for Gaming Grants between April 1 - June 30, 2021 to receive Gaming Grant funding in Fall 2021 for the new school year. PACs and DPACs must apply annually to receive funding each year.

Similarly DPACs and PACs must report on the spending within 90 days of their own fiscal year end. All reports and applications are done online. See all details on the CGG website.

Community Gaming Grants revised and updated the 2021 PAC & DPAC Guidelines & Conditions. One of the biggest changes is that PACs can now use their Gaming funds to pay for their BCCPAC membership. DPACs are reminded that they can only use their Gaming funds to pay for their own individual DPAC membership with BCCPAC.

We partnered with Gaming branch staff to host a live 90 minute session to share the information including a Q&A session. IF you missed the session Thursday April 8 don't worry - its posted below on this page so you can listen to it all. It ran over 30 minutes as there were so many questions to be asked and answered! The presentation covers a program overview, revisions to the DPAC/PAC Guidelines and the Capital Project grant, advice and examples of eligible uses of PAC funding and commonly asked questions. 

Need Help? We strongly encourage you and your whole PAC/DPAC Executive team review these resources, especially the CGG presentation from April 8. It's hugely helpful.

BCCPAC Presentation Deck from April 8

Gaming Branch Presentation Deck from April 8

Recorded Presentation with Live Q&A from April 8 (runs 2hrs)(Q&A begins at 1:13 mark)

Q&A Document from Presentation

Read the Gaming Grants FAQ

Review the Gaming Grants Tutorials

FYI re Gaming Licenses (raffles etc)

All revenues from any gaming license must go into your gaming account. Section 3 on the Gaming Account Summary Report is where this would be reported. Licensing is entirely separate from Community Gaming Grants, however.

Member Feedback on Uses of CGG funding 2020-21

During December 2020, BCCPAC reached out to members for feedback about how they were spending their Gaming funds in the current pandemic influenced environment. The key themes of the member feedback is noted below and was shared by BCCPAC with CGG as a data point for development of the revised 2021 Guidelines. 

We are sharing the themes here as it may be beneficial to members to see what others are doing - lots of creative ideas!

• Allow PACS to use gaming to cover costs of BCCPAC membership, parent education, childcare for meetings, costs of running a PAC -photocopying etc.
• Our school cohorts are color coded with designated areas for play during lunch and recess. We have just purchased color coded outdoor equipment for each cohort. There won’t be any confusion on who’s is who’s. They will have more choices for play since not everyone is on the playground at the same time.
• Perhaps not quite in line with the purpose of the input, but apparently there is an appetite at both the MoE and Gaming (it would require the participation of both) to add/amend language that would offer brand new PACs an opportunity to not have to suffer the 1 year 'penalty' of waiting to apply for gaming funds. PACs are established by school Boards (they must be upon application under the School Act) and whereas other groups may have to establish some sense of history and/or longevity or the ability to maintain, PACs are by nature and legislation, 'permanent' and already 'established'. Gaming and the MoE would have to work together to make those revisions happen. I had started this conversation with them both some months ago, and then like many other things fell by the wayside.
• So far we have purchased grade 6 hoodies for their grad year, school wide gingerbread houses and supplies for a competition and a school treat at Xmas.
• We are having a mural painted in recognition of last years grade 7 class to beautify one of our school walls.
• We are looking at possible virtual STEAM learning activities or even some school yard enhancements...nothing yet.
• We are purchasing a gaga ball pit as our intermediate students(4/5) are only allowed on the field and where the basket ball hoops are so they have nothing to do.
• We are purchasing a GagaBall pit at one school and a walking track at the other. Trying to spruce up outdoor spaces that will help during and after the pandemic.
• We are purchasing concrete tables for outside at the middle school. Enough for a whole class.
• We are purchasing inclusive playground equipment to upgrade one of our playgrounds so it is inclusive to children with various disabilities. We decided on this before the pandemic and will use next years funds to complete.
• We are using funds to enhance our outdoor space use (concrete tables, recess play equipment).
• We are using some for a local Indigenous artist to come to the school and work with the children for artwork that will greet all visitors to the school.
• We brought small pumpkins to the children (no field trips to the patch). Big hit, so now we are getting small lemon cypress trees. We also used grant fund for bringing a speaker (on zoom) for workshop for the children and our librarian is looking into author visit (online). Will also use the fund for adding graphic novels/comics. magazines orders (among other books) to the library as these are popular among students and pricey.
• We have not utilized our gaming funds beyond bursaries and agendas this year however this thread has been extremely helpful and will be referenced at our meeting this week. Thank you
• We ordered all students and staff a school t-shirt.
• We purchased some new sports jerseys at the end of last school season but won’t be seeing them used for a while yet. Put some money towards a bin of sports equipment for each class to use during recess. We usually use it for transportation for field trips but that is not required this year. We do find the rules for spending the money restrictive
• We updated our first aid/emergency supplies
• We usually budget most of our gaming funds for busses on field trips. This year we moved some of the things we normally pay out of general funds to gaming; presentations (virtual this year) being the main one.
• Amounts are allocated for club supplies and equipment, tournaments and competitions, athletic equipment, workshops, awards, prizes, scholarships, food. We're still fundraising (via Purdys) mainly for our annual staff appreciation lunch.  At last count, we have 140 staff and with COVID restrictions, our previous home-cooked meals (ie last year's Butter Chicken lunch cooked by a few PAC Execs) most likely will be replaced by individual meals which will cost a lot more. Currently we're saving on the coffee/tea & treats offered at each meeting and the occasional desserts/appetizers mini buffet offered at special events (first/last meetings and the occasional holiday themed meetings).
• And I am a bit concerned now about the budgeting decision we made at the outset, which was largely mirrored on past years' practices.  We have planned to spend $2,500 on an all-school field trip (or else in-school cohort fun days, if the typical end of year off-site fun day isn't possible).  We have planned a further $2,000 for classroom / cohort field trips, and $500 for some kind of grade 5 grad celebration.  So far, for the classroom / cohort field trips envelope, one of the presentations where the nature society was going to come to the school was cancelled and no more are being scheduled right now.  We have a fairly unique and specific challenge at our school in that it has a very tiny footprint of land that actually belongs to the school district.  Our playground is on school property.  We badly need a new bike lock up, and a scooter lock up, but there's virtually nowhere to make permanent or semi-permanent installations like that on our own property.  Trying to work with the city to get amenities for the school community / community centre is fairly painful and slow, and it seems we can't pay for things that would be on city property.  Our swings were taken down three months ago due to a safety concern with the supporting structure and still haven't been fixed.  So some of the things a PAC might be able to just do using gaming grant money or our own fundraising amounts seem to be a bit more limited at our school.
• "In terms of this school year, we have voted on spending our gaming money on the following projects / activities: In terms of this school year, we have voted on spending our gaming money on the following projects / activities:
  • Athletics (registrations & equipment, etc)
  • Seaquaria Aquarium (kept in our science department & enjoyed by all students who (for some) stop by daily to check out the tank)
  • Earthquake supplies (food & water replenishment as it will expire at the end of this school year)
  • Performing Arts department awards & engraving of annual as well as new awards
  • Forgotten Lunch program (lunches & snacks provided to students who didn't bring anything for the day)
  • Breakfast Club program (breakfast supplied to students 2 days a week, delivered in a covid-friendly manner)
  • Student Book Club
  • Poetry / writing workshops
  • Waterloo Math Contests"
• This year has been challenging as to how we are able to spend it. We often spend gaming on educational presentations for students, Field trips for students, teachers clubs etc. Due to COVID these are not possible. We are looking at options for virtual presentations. Each year we put aside funds for playground improvements or purchases and hope to do the same this year. In January we hope to start a virtual coding club where we can help purchase whatever technology is required. Grade 7’s have faced the same challenges we’ve had raising funds so if needed we hope to assist them in their goal to make this graduating year a great one We also have a school name change and logo and will require new sports jerseys and if allowable will help the school pay for those. We also plan to help beautify the school with educational and inspirational sayings. We also use funds for our helping hands program for those kids that come to school with no meals or snacks. We’ll be sure that whatever we decide for this crazy year falls within the gaming grant eligible items.
• This is what we have decided to spend our funding on (student clubs, student athletic teams and supplies, guest speakers, outdoor education).  Every year we host a gaming presentation evening where staff can present requests for funding, this year we had them present via email and we followed up with questions to the staff as well as asked for clarification form gaming to make sure that the expense we weren't positive on were in fact eligible.

Leadership Manual - Guidelines for DPACs & PACs

The Leadership Manual provides PACs and DPACs with operational guidance including sample forms, constitution and bylaws and information on how to run effective meetings. Originally created in 2001, the Leadership Manual is updated from time to time by volunteers. Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in volunteering with the Leadership Manual Committee.

NOTE: Ignore all references to School Planning Council - this council was removed from the School Act.

Sections of the Leadership Manual

Section 1 - Parent Involvement - Basic Principles

Section 2 - The BC School Act 

Section 4 - Getting Started in Your PAC and DPAC 

Section 6 - Constitution & Bylaws

Section 7 - Roles, Responsibilities and Accountability of PAC & DPAC Executives (revised 2010)

Section 8 - Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest (revised 2020)

Section 9 - Decision Making in PACs and DPACs 

Section 10 - Representing all Voices: Building an Inclusive Council

Section 12 - The Role of Committees in PACs and DPACs

Section 13 - Effective Planning in PACs and DPACs

Section 14 - Effective Meetings

Section 15 - Financial Management in PACs and DPACs

Section 16 - Communication in Your PACs and DPACs

Section 17 - Building Partnerships

Section 18 - Parent Education

Section 19 - Contagious Enthusiasm: How to Get Parents Involved

Section 20 - BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils

• DPAC
• parent education
• pac

We invited our DPAC Executive teams to join us for our annual DPAC Leadership Summit via Zoom on November 20-21, 2020. More so than ever before, your role as DPAC leaders is essential during this school year for your PAC parent community and your ability to represent them as a district stakeholder. Thanks to all who attended representing 43 school districts and for making our 2020 event another resounding success! Thank you for bringing your passion and commitment and shared their thoughts and ideas which enabled rich and respectful dialogue. We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents. 

Pre-Summit Documents

• FESL Policy (Friday - Session 2)
• FESL Order (Friday - Session 2)
• Inclusive Education - Handbook Tips (Friday - Session 3)
• Continuing the Conversation Breakout Topics (Friday - Session 3)
• DPAC Survey Summary

Summit Presentations

• Moving Forward: Our Individual and Collective Learning Journeys with Jo Chrona, FNESC
• Policy for Enhanced Student Learning with Shelaina Postings & Cynthia Drummond, Ministry of Education
• Mental Health in Schools, Anti-Racism and the Inclusive Education Handbook with Jennifer McCrea & Patricia Kovacs, Ministry of Education
• BCCPAC Saturday Presentation Deck (with hyperlinks)
• Main Room Chat Notes (many answers were given verbally)

Other Resources & Links

• Reconciliation Canada (Back Pocket Plan)
• Native Land (territorial acknowledgement)
• First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC)
• Land Acknowledgement Protocol
• Common Myths ebook
• Personal Pledge of Reconciliation
• Tips ebook
• Guide to Terminology ebook
• BCCPAC Advocacy presentation and video recording
• BCCPAC PAC A to Z presentation and video recording
• BCCPAC Treasurer Bootcamp presentation and video recording

• DPAC
• parent education
• parent engagement
• pac
• parents
• role of parents

Since March 2020, due to the pandemic, our staff and board have provided increased guidance, clarity, information and answers to DPACs, PACs and individual parents via email, phone and social media channels. As a result, we have noticed, across the 60 school districts, there are many individuals who are unaware of the role of parents as stakeholders within the K-12 system, how it works, how to get more involved etc.

 

It is through the parent advisory council structure (per the School Act) that ALL public school parents are represented - at the school level by their PAC, at the district level by their DPAC and at the provincial level by BCCPAC. Parents elect their PAC executive to represent them and carry out the business of the PAC at the school. PACs elect their District PAC board members to represent them with the school district. And DPACs and PACs elect the BCCPAC board members to represent them at the provincial level. Its democratic the same way that your trustee or city councillor is elected to represent you; as representatives, they speak for you and may not always seek your direct input on issues, just as occurs in other democratic places including your MP or MLA. We strongly encourage parents/guardians/caregivers to engage with their local school PAC and connect directly with their DPAC.

 

And please note there is NO master provincial parent list which we can email or contact all parents. Your school and PAC will reach out to individual parents or the school district or DPAC will based on individuals providing their contact details to these groups. More on this is below.

 

We hope that parents/guardians/caregivers will find this informative and useful. 

 

Part 1 - Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

 

The School Act - This is the starting place. The School Act requires that every PAC has Bylaws that specify how meetings are run, how the business is conducted, how dissolution is to be handled, and how executive reps are elected. They exist to ensure YOUR voice is heard and represented. There are also Regulations and Orders in Council related to School Act. The School Act lists the most important rights and responsibilities of parents and students, both individual and collective. Parents should read and understand the relevant sections.

 

Parents Rights

- The right to be informed of their child’s attendance, behaviour, and progress in school; On request, to receive a copy of the school plan for the school; To belong to the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) in their school; To consult with the teacher, principal, vice‐principal, or director of instruction with respect to their child’s educational program. Conversely, parents are required, if requested, to consult with the teacher, principal, vice‐principal, or director of instruction on their child’s educational program

Rights of students with special needs are covered under the Special Needs Students Order of the Minister of Education.

 

Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

PAC is the collective voice of parents in school community who has the legislative right to advise school administration on any matter relating to public education and whose role is to supports parents. All parents/guardians/caregivers with children registered in the school are members of the PAC. The PAC executive are those individuals, per the PAC Bylaws, who have been elected by their peers to represent them and to conduct business on their behalf.

 

PAC meetings are for parents of children enroled and attending that school. School administrators and staff representatives should be welcomed to attend PAC meetings as regular invited guests (they cannot vote). Similarly PAC Executives should be meeting regularly with their admin teams AND request to present to staff meetings as needed to share information, inform etc.

 

Recognized in the School Act, Section 8, PACs are required to have Bylaws under which they operate (self-governing) and are composed of, run and managed by parents. PACs can advise school staff/board of education respecting any matter relating to the school or provincial education. They can advise the school principal & staff on parents’ views and feedback about school programs, policies, plans and activities. They can organize PAC activities and events and endeavour to provide parent education. They encourage parent involvement in the school, and to support programs that promote parent involvement. And they communicate with parents, and to promote co-operation between the home and the school in providing support for the education of children. PACs also assist parents in accessing the system (could mean connecting to DPAC) and to advocate on behalf of parents and students, provide financial support for the goals of the PAC, as determined by its membership and will advise and participate in the activities of the DPAC.

 

Communication with Parent Community

Through their elected executives from parents in the school, PACs communicate with their parent community gathering and discussing issues of importance regarding their school in order to adequately advise those that influence their school. In addition to PAC meetings communication may also be done through, newsletters, telephone, email, and websites so that all parents have the opportunity for input. 

PACs can only communicate with parents once parents have provided their contact information or opted in to receive information. Schools cannot provide email or other contact information to PACs even though parents have provided it to the school; due to data privacy the data cannot be shared. It is common for schools to send out information on behalf of the PAC to their school families. But there is a need for the PAC to communicate directly with its parent community and for that, parents need to provide contact details to their PAC. This means, if individuals don’t provide email or other contact information to their PACs, the PAC is unable to communicate directly with you.

 

PACs fall under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA); they do not fall under FOIPPA.

 

Fundraising

PACs are NOT required or obligated to raise funds but this practice started many years ago and most continue to do some fundraising. There exists “haves and have nots” and inequity at schools so not all PACs have the same ability to raise funds.

There are many things a PAC can do that isn't connected to fundraising. During this particular school year, parents will be relying on their PAC to keep them informed and updated; they are a bridge between admin and parents and have the ability to push and pull information, bring forward issues, ensure parents have all the information they need.

 

Part 2 - District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC)

 

District PAC (DPAC) is the official representative body of parents/guardians of children in a school district. The School Act provides DPACs the power to advise the board of education respecting any matter relating to education within the district including educational policy. As a district stakeholder, DPAC, like other stakeholders, is entitled to have representation (on behalf of parents) on all standing Committees and on any advisory and ad-hoc committees or working groups.

 

Recognized in the School Act, Section 8, DPACs are required to have Bylaws under which they operate (self-governing) and are composed of, run and managed by parents. DPAC bylaws provide direction on the level of participation of invited guests and what to do if a trustee or school district employee is also a parent at a school. The DPAC is comprised of elected parent representatives from district PACs and serves as an umbrella organization for local PACs; all PACs in the district are by default members of the DPAC but many DPACs require member PACs to register with them.

DPACs can:

-Assist parents in forming/dissolving a PAC in every school

-Assist member PACs and parents in obtaining information and communicating with district personnel

-Help parents navigate the school system locally

-Advocate for greater parental involvement in the education system

-Support & encourage PACs and parents in accessing the school system at all levels by providing regular forums for the exchange of ideas and information to ensure that public education serves the best interests of all students

 

DPAC meetings (now virtual this school year) are for PAC representatives and parents of children enrolled in public school in the district. District administrators and Trustees should be welcomed to attend DPAC meetings as regular invited guests (they cannot vote). Similarly DPAC Executives should be meeting regularly with their senior district teams. DPAC can (and should) set up meetings with whomever they think is appropriate within the district. If there is ever opposition to a meeting between the Superintendent and DPAC, that issue must be resolved between the Superintendent and Board.

DPAC Execs

 Public representatives of DPAC

 Responsible for DPAC governance

 Have voting power at executive meetings

PAC Reps

 Represent their PACs to DPAC

 Help form DPAC policy through motions

 Have voting power at general meetings & DPAC elections

Any Parent/Guardian

 Contact DPAC with an issue requiring representation at the district level

 Attend any DPAC meeting

 

Communication with Member PACs

 

DPACs communicate directly with their PAC parent community gathering and discussing issues of importance regarding their district (such as Strategic Planning, District Budget, Long Range Facilities Plan etc.) in order to adequately advise those that influence their district decisions. In addition to DPAC meetings, communication may also be done through surveys, newsletters, email, and websites so that all PAC parents have the opportunity for input.

 

Just like PACs, DPACs can only communicate with their local PACs and school parents once individual parents and PAC executives have provided their contact information or opted in to receive information. Districts don’t gather that information nor can they share it; due to data privacy, parent information cannot be shared. It’s to the advantage of the local PACs and their parent communities to be connected with their DPAC – both electronically and through engagement. The DPAC needs to communicate directly with its PAC members and parent community and for that, parents need to provide contact details to their PAC. This means, if individuals don’t provide email or other contact information to their DPAC/PAC, both the DPAC and the PAC is unable to communicate directly with you.

 

DPACs fall under the Personal Information Protection  Act (PIPA); they do not fall under FOIPPA.

 

Part 3 - Provincial Parent Advisory Council (BCCPAC)

 

The BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) is a non-partisan, registered non-profit charity, since 1922. We are governed by a volunteer Board of directors elected annually by our membership (annual fee) which consists of District Parent Advisory Councils (DPAC) and Parent Advisory Councils (PAC) through which we represent the parents/guardians/caregivers of >565,000 children in provincial public schools. As the provincially mandated voice of parents in public schools, we have the authority to get involved and to share concerns directly with the Minister and Ministry staff.

 

BCCPAC is the provincial voice of parents on K-12 public education and related issues and we directly support DPAC and PAC members and individual parents. We promote, support and advance meaningful parent participation throughout the public education system in order to advocate for the success of all students; and through our membership, to promote leadership, communication, cooperation, and representation in British Columbia at the school, school district and provincial level.

We advocate for systemic changes at the provincial table. BCCPAC sits at that table with the education partners—School Trustees Association, Superintendents Association, School Business Officials Association, Principals and Vice Principals Association, Teachers Federation, CUPEBC and the First Nations Education Steering Committee—and the provincial government. BCCPAC has a credible and respected voice, and is uniquely positioned to ensure the parent perspective is heard loudly and clearly. We communicate and meet regularly with the Ministry of Education and education partners.

 

BCCPAC is invited to every meeting, asked to participate in every working group, sought for input which is often confidential, and we provide feedback directly whenever we believed it is needed.

We educate and inform parents and we help parents advocate for themselves and their child. We use the School Act, district policies and district bylaws to guide parents/guardians in advocating for their child’s educational program. Whether it's talking to parents about advocacy, spending 10mos pursuing a Section 11 to bring about equity for a child, meeting with a Superintendent regarding issues relating to children not receiving the supports they should, answering questions via email or social media or presenting at a DPAC meeting to ensure parents understand their role and responsibilities, the current Board and staff of BCCPAC are doing this and so very much more. During the pandemic our work has continued and the need for parent education and representation has increased.

 

This year, and for the coming year, parent advocacy and advocacy for school-aged children has never been more important. The parent/guardian/caregiver perspective at the provincial table with the education partners has been critical during the pandemic and the return to school. We are the only provincial group 100% dedicated to parents and their children in public school. All other education partners represent their members who are employees in the system – that is their primary mandate.

 

Since March 2020 we have been representing parents in all K-12 provincial discussions regarding education in our pandemic environment – we continue to regularly provide parent feedback directly with the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the other education stakeholders. We have emailed our members and posted to our social media channels and our website the important details parents need to understand and know in real-time as it’s released. We have provided guidance, clarity and answers to DPACs, PACs and individual parents via email, phone and social media channels.

We fought hard in provincial discussions for flexibility and remote/online options for parents while ensuring children have the opportunity to remain connected to their school community. We have brought forward district specific issues directly to the Deputy Minister and his team who have raised those issues with Superintendents. We secured shared Zoom licenses for all PACs across the province to enable PACs to continue meeting, hold their elections and annual meetings and serve their parent communities.

 

During the last 16months we have represented parents in provincial discussions and advisory groups such as curriculum and graduation assessments, the early learning framework for birth to age eight, child/youth mental well-being, framework for enhanced student learning, kindergarten transition resources and the inclusive education parent handbook. In June we once again made a submission and presentation to the Select Standing Committee regarding education funding specifically to safeguard stable funding and to increase both capital and operational funding. We continue to liaise directly with the Community Gaming branch to ensure PACs know of changes and updates which will affect their applications and reports and to try to influence the annual guidelines.

 

BCCPAC falls under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA); we do not fall under FOIPPA.

 

Communications

We email DPACs and PACs directly as they are members and have provided their contact details to us; we do not share this list. DPACs communicate directly with their PAC community and PACs communicate directly with their parent community.

 

In all cases – communication with individual parents/PAC members/DPAC members can only occur when individuals/groups have provided their contact information or opted in to receive information. There is no master provincial list of parent contacts.

 

We endeavor to post as much as possible for parents to our website and to this public page. Depending on the issue and many other factors, we may seek input directly via a survey or other means; we just completed a survey with our DPAC leaders.

 

It’s to the advantage of parents/guardians to be connected with their local PACs.

It’s to the advantage of the local PACs and their parent communities to be connected with their DPAC.

It’s similarly to the advantage of DPACs and their PAC parent communities to be connected with BCCPAC.

 

In all cases, parents who are engaged in their school, district or provincial PAC are volunteers giving of their time for their community and who do not receive any remuneration.

 

We encourage parents/guardians/caregivers with children in K-12 to ensure they provide current contact information to their child’s school PAC, sign up for PAC blogs, newsletters etc., and sign up to receive information from your local DPAC. All the information can be easily found online.

 

If you believe you can do more and give some of your time to public education, then please consider joining or volunteering to help your PAC. They are parents just like you and they need your help; everyone in the community benefits from parent engagement. Our strength is in our collective voice.